Former Ways and Means Chairman, Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D., NY) will be tried on serious charges of ethics violations after he rejected the findings of the Ethics Committee, including the alleged failure to declare up to $831,000 in assets and use of his office to raise money for a center named after himself.
In a separate case, Rangel was accused of accepting free trips from corporate interests and other violations.
Rangel, 80, appears set for trial — a process last used by Jim Traficant (D-Ohio) before he went to federal prison. He has spent more than $2 million of his campaign funds on his legal team.
The trial is probably a greater concern for the Democrats than Rangel who is at the end of his career and is fighting for his legacy. For Democrats, it could not come at a worse moment with polls showing Congress at an all-time low of eleven percent. If Rangel wanted to simply continue in office, he probably could have accepted the allegations and weathered the storm in a safe district. However, he wants his day in court (though this can only be loosely analogized to a court proceeding).
Source: Washington Post
Jus wanted ya’ll to see my new release that I’m workin on.
For best effect it’s best to listen to the original song to get it stuck in your head then sing along with the lyrics below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySqrUXfK5RY&feature=related
All them democrats are goin away
Said they’re all movin to L.A.
There’s not a soul I know around
all of them are leavin’ town
Some got caught and put away
All that sunshine now is rain
They said were all ah waste of time
I guess they’re right, they wasted mine
Some gotta win, some gotta lose,
Charlie Rangels got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Ya know my heart keeps tellin’ me
there’s got ta be more than jus the 13 he’s gonna plea
Play around in the Dominican Republic you’ll lose your wife
don’t pay your taxes you lose your life
I got my pills to ease the pain
cain’t do nothin but laugh and watch it rain
can’t let any of it get ya down
cause all them democrats are leavin town
Some gotta win, some gotta lose
Charlie Rangels got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Some gotta win, some gotta lose
Good time Charlie Rangels got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Elaine,
That’s a terrible thing to say about roadkill.
How could anyone forget James Traficant? He’s the only man in America with a worse hairstyle than Donald Trump. I always thought Traficant looked like he was wearing a toupee made from road-kill.
A.Y.
Rangel succeeded Adam Clayton Powell, who was thrown out due to ethics violations. Rangel ran on a reform platform. Ironically, one of Rangel’s challengers today is Adam Clayton Powell III. Poor Harlem. It deserves better representation.
I think Rangel’s going to take a “wide stance” on this one.
buckeye
Blouise
[Former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. of Ohio, who was released from prison four months ago after serving a sentence for racketeering, tax evasion and bribery, is planning another run for Congress in 2010.
Business Journal Daily reports that Traficant told a business networking group in Youngstown, Ohio yesterday that “I’m going to run for Congress.” He said he isn’t sure which district he will seek or whether he will run as a Democrat, Republican, independent or something else.
…
Traficant also said a far-right group called the American Free Press wants him to run for president as an independent. He is planning to speak to the group in February, if he is allowed to travel under the terms of his parole. ]
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In my opinion ol’ Traficant is just another out of control ego maniac … who loves houseboats.
Buckeye,
Thanks. I was trying to remember the dudes name that Rangel took the seat from.
As many predicted, we have a fourth branch of government which we unwittingly created. Corporate money now threatens to swamp both Congress and the Presidency preying on each institution’s incessant need for campaign contributions to stay elected. Democracy suffers from legalized graft and the courts sit idly by waxing poetic about corporate person-hood and the first amendment rights of mythical beings to “influence” the process. One wonders when their “influence” equates to “overwhelms.” The suicide pact seems almost complete unless the only branch of government capable of doing something about it does do something about it. Why the courts feel obligated to enable this bribery astonishes me, but then again I don’t have just my government pension to fall back on at retirement, and have no desire to sit on some corporate board collecting my stipend of several hundred thousand dollars. We do still prosecute whores, don’t we?
This arrogant tax cheat and crook was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He deserves to spend the few years he has left in 8 x 8 cell with a cot to sleep on. I hope he gets what he deserves.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ5uHbGiZE4&hl=en_US&fs=1]
Time for Charlie to go. Corporations don’t pay money unless something is given in return. $830,000.00 for simple access. I am not buying into that.
Blouise
[Former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. of Ohio, who was released from prison four months ago after serving a sentence for racketeering, tax evasion and bribery, is planning another run for Congress in 2010.
Business Journal Daily reports that Traficant told a business networking group in Youngstown, Ohio yesterday that “I’m going to run for Congress.” He said he isn’t sure which district he will seek or whether he will run as a Democrat, Republican, independent or something else.
…
Traficant also said a far-right group called the American Free Press wants him to run for president as an independent. He is planning to speak to the group in February, if he is allowed to travel under the terms of his parole. ]
http://minx.cc/?post=297825
Buddha, You might like the heading on this site.
Remember Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. who was reelected after he was excluded from the house. And Charley Rangel took his seat in 1970.
That Harlem constituency really like their guys.
Democrat. Republican. Who cares as long as the weasels are thrown out of the hen house?
Sorry, Charlie!
Blouise,
I lived in Ohio for a while in the 90s so I remember Jim Traficant – hopefully Rangel will resign and spare the party, but I don’t have much faith in that happening.
Slartibartfast,
I believe there is an Ethics investigation ongoing of Ensign and he’s the subject of an FBI investigation so I don’t think we’ve heard the last about that Senator from Nevada.
As to Rangel, he’s been in office since ’71. I don’t know if you remember Jim Traficant but he hung on and in so doing did some very real and lasting damage to the Democratic Party here in Ohio (he was just recently released from prison). Perhaps Rangel needs to look at the Traficant situation and learn.
Of course, I doubt a Republican could win his district even if he’s indicted…
It’s too bad he’s not a Republican – they don’t seem to resign or get prosecuted for ethical violations (Ensign, Vitter, Sanford…). I hope they can find him guilty, convince him to resign or prove his innocence (which I doubt is possible) before the election…
Let the process take its course – if he is found guilty, toss him to the curb. If he is not, so be it.
Luke Russert vs. Charlie Rangel Over Ethics Violations (VIDEO)
AY:If not there will soon be one after this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/23/luke-russert-vs-charlie-r_n_656869.html
Was there not a White Collar episode recently about something like this?